The present invention relates to cigarette filtering devices. Many cigarettes are sold with an integral filter. Such filters typically comprise a short length of fibrous material located behind the tobacco portion of the cigarette. As the user draws on the cigarette, smoke passes through the fibrous material of the integral filter whereby tars and nicotine are at least partially filtered out of the smoke.
There are cigarette holders on the market which further filter tars and nicotine from the smoke leaving a cigarette, even a cigarette which already includes an integral filter. One such holder defines a tortuous path through which the smoke must travel before it reaches the smoker's mouth. It removes as much as 30% of the tars and nicotine which manage to escape the integral cigarette filter and which would otherwise reach the smoker's mouth. Another holder utilizes a moistened cellulose acetate material to filter the smoke.
One problem with such filtering cigarette holders is that they are very noticeable when used. Also, they alter the draw characteristics of the cigarette. As a result, only a small percentage of smokers use such devices, even though they would benefit from such use in terms of reduced tar and nicotine intake.